Here For You
by Spicyb0i26
Summary: It wasn't hard for anyone to figure out how Natsuki's home life was like but finding a way to help was the difficult part when the pink haired girl stubbornly refused anyone reaching out to her. Finally, after being found sleeping outside on one cold morning in bad condition, Monika creates a new group assignment; finding Natsuki a new home!
1. Prologue

A/N:I've been thinking of fixing this story so much that it kinda prevented me from continuing so I'm replacing all the old chapters with newer ones so it can flow together better. For new readers, this is mainly focusing on Natsuki and her abusive home life as well as her relationships with the other girls. No MC in this one, or murder/self-awareness, just a story about the girls trying to help each other and possibly play matchmaker.

 **Prologue**

"Okay, well, that's it for today's club meeting!"

Natsuki always dreaded hearing that sentence, she had hoped their latest activity would have dragged on until four or five. The days club assignment consisted of preparing for the winter festival with their usual responsibilities switched thanks to their ditzy vice president. Instead of baking this time around, her job was creating the banners and decorations which was usually Yuri's jurisdiction. It wasn't too hard to do but she had protested nevertheless. She was the only one who could actually make anything sweet and edible!

Natsuki dropped the construction paper she was trying to cut into snowflakes onto the pile on her desk and looked at the others who paused at the announcement. She resisted the urge to sigh and protest but that would make it too obvious.

Thankfully, she wasn't the only one displeased with their short time.

"Aww but I barely got to work on the pamphlets!" Sayori pouted getting up from her desk holding a sheet of paper with what looked like a crudely drawn deer on the front. She had given herself Monika's usual job. "I was going to draw some reindeer's and snowmen on the front."

"I suppose assigning the jobs and sharing poems took up a bit of time than we anticipated, I couldn't get much work done on the song either.." Yuri quietly spoke as she stayed sitting at her desk before putting her own items away. Her job was to create a song for them to sing that would go along with Monika playing her piano.

"Oh... well, thankfully the festival's not until Friday! I can finish up baking treats by then." Monika, their club president, assured them with a smile as she began packing up her own belongings into her bag. "I know this is bit of more homework than usual but remember tonight's assignment, everyone!"

"Eh? We still have to make a cruddy poem even when we have to get ready for the festival!?" Natsuki couldn't help but protest loudly making them all turn to her. "We should at least get a break from it until the festival's over, Prez." She didn't mean for it to come out rudely but she felt overwhelmed at the thought of creating all the decorations/banners at home where they could easily be seen by her father. She could get away with baking easily since she used the schools cooking class equipment but taking stuff home was out of the question!

He didn't know she was part of the Literature Club and she never wanted him to know. Everyday, before heading out, she would tell him that she had to go to the library after school to study for tests or work on projects that didn't exist so she could avoid going home right after. In actuality, the school library closed right at 3 but he didn't know that and would never question her as long as her grades were perfect.

"I can't really work on much at home." She added more gently, looking straight at Monika.

"I thought you enjoyed writing the poems, yours are always so nice..," Sayori seemed to pout even more but paused for a moment as if realizing something and smiled at her. "Buuut you don't have to do them if you don't want to!"

"I think only the club president can decide that," Yuri spoke up softly but faltered under Natsuki's glare. "T-Though I suppose it would be fair to take a break from writing considering the limited time we have to work until the festival.."

"..." Monika glanced between them for a moment before reaching the same conclusion and pretended to sigh. "I guess I was unloading too much on you all, huh? It would be pretty tiresome to do all that, especially when you might have to do other work outside of the club." She mused with the same calm smile she always wore on her face yet Natsuki could see it seemed a little strained.

Feeling a bit more relaxed at the others cooperation the younger girl gave one of her usual grins, "Good to see you all will listen to me when I'm right!" She didn't mean it in a obnoxious way of course but showing her appreciation was a bit difficult to say the least.

Only then did she begin to clean up and get her own stuff ready, not noticing the glances she was receiving from Monika and Sayori. By this point, everyone was in the process of packing and cleaning up.

The pink haired girl didn't want to go home just yet but with the club being over and the others leaving soon... what other choice did she have? Gathering up the scraps of paper she had no use for, she wondered about alternative places to go for a few hours. The park maybe? Go walking around the shopping district? She didn't have money of course but she could always just window shop.

"Would you like some help?" A soft voice broke her out of her thoughts and she looked up go see Yuri, a bit shyly, offering to help. The older girl was still pretty hesitant to talk to her despite having them know each other for a few months and their friendship was still relatively tense at times. She supposed she couldn't blame her, the younger girl wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with, not that she'd ever admit it.

"Sure, whatever." She shrugged trying to act indifferent but felt grateful for the help and watched as Yuri helped her throw the rest of the scraps away, she even showed her where to keep her already finished snowflakes and supplies.

"I really like how you made your own interpretation of these snowflakes, especially when we had so little supplies on hand. Kind of like you put a bit of yourself in each one.." The dark haired girl held one of her snowflakes up with a smile before pausing and second guessing herself. "S-Sorry, I'm rambling a bit."

Yuri was probably the only really mature and most devoted to the clubs subject out of all of them, Monika being the second, and it always frustrated her how the older girl felt too shy to really speak her mind. She had her passionate moments where she could speak without any stutters or hesitation but Natsuki only saw that side of her when they shared poems, or when they fought. Their writing styles clashed every so often which would result in an argument that never lasted long due to Sayori making them realize how dumb they were being. Even if Yuri always seemed to act 'fancy' with everything, she appreciated her very much.

There were times she wanted to talk to the older girl about the faded cuts she'd seen on her wrists, she'd caught glimpses of them throughout the last month, but at the same time it wasn't any of her business. In an attempt to help she did treat Yuri more nicely and hear her out during poem sessions.

Natsuki never wanted the girls to know about her secrets, especially her father, so it made no sense to bother them about theirs. At least that's what she tried to do up until two week's ago.

"Nah, it's fine. And I totally did, we'll have the best decorations out of all the clubs!" She asserted confidently knowing that her style of writing never failed her but she faltered a bit hearing the other girl laugh. "W-What's so funny?"

Yuri played with her hair and looked down for a moment, "Rest assured, I wasn't laughing at you, I... just think it's very delightful you're so in touch with your style. It takes a while for people to really find their own." She gave her a small smile causing the shorter girl to feel flustered at the compliment?

"Natsuki, could you come over? I'd like to talk to you once everyone leaves, if that's okay." She jumped hearing Monika's voice so close and turned to see the club president with the usual calm smile on her face.

"Well I better g-go, see you tomorrow." Yuri, not wanting to eavesdrop, grabbed her things and left the classroom in a matter of seconds with a giggling Sayori following behind her.

The younger girl couldn't help but feel disappointed that their chat had ended so quickly before feeling confused, after all, she was going to see her tomorrow for club. Turning to Monika she couldn't help but feel like the other girls attention was just like a mother's with how she constantly hovered and took care of them with a gentle smile. She jokingly wondered if she had a mothers intuition as well.

"What's up?"

Monika seemed to hesitate for a split second before speaking, "...I know this is none of my business but I was just wondering how everything is at home since last time we talked." She spoke slowly as if deciding to be careful with her wording.

Two weeks prior, after another incident at home, Monika had seen a few of her real bad bruises on her arm right before club started and basically forced her to talk once they were alone. Well, it wasn't exactly forced but at the time Natsuki was a mess and had felt absolutely awful that she just vented to Monika privately about her father.

She wished she could take everything she said back, venting had been a mistake. She wasn't in the mood to talk about her shitty relationship with her father with one of her friends. It was pretty nonexistent at times, which was just as bad, but it was better than getting new bruises or injuries she'd have to find excuses for. It wasn't a good life but it wasn't too bad that she wanted to get anyone involved, she only needed to survive for one more year before she was legally allowed to leave and live on her own.

"...It's fine," Natsuki couldn't help but feel a flare of anger. Just because she talked to Monika one time about her problems didn't mean she was now her personal therpist. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

Monika looked a bit let down by her words before putting on a stern look, losing her smile completely. "I just want to make sure you're okay. You just sounded worried earlier and I was concerned-"

"Well, don't be! This is my business and I don't want to talk about it here or ever." The younger girl snapped before going over to her desk to get her things to leave. "Just because you're the club leader that doesn't mean you can get anything out of me."

She was blowing this out of the water more than she should have, she knew this, and she could of just taken it into consideration that her friend cared about her but she was already so pissed off. The club room was her only place she felt truly safe in and talking about the reason why she hated going home ruined it completely.

"I'm not trying to, Natsuki, I just want to know you're okay. This reaction isn't really convincing me, so please just let me help you!" Monika frowned almost speaking in a pleading tone, her eyes showing just how concerned she felt. A moment of silence passed between them before the older girl spoke again with a softer voice, "You could always tell the others and stay with one of us. Please remember, we're always here for you."

Natsuki felt a mixture of emotions flow through her but the fight in her had slowly begun to fade, making her truly feel like a jerk. "...I'll think about it," She muttered mostly to herself before leaving the classroom. Monika didn't follow nor call out to her.

As she walked, she could already hear her father's words pounding away in her head knowing he was right, _"You're a burden to everyone around you."_


	2. Chapter 1

A/N; This chapter includes Natsuki's old man, at least my version of him anyway. Mostly based on everything Monika said and some from personal experiences, of course exaggerated for the story, and I didn't add much detail about the parents aside from the names and backstory so what they look like will be up to you. Thank you for reading and enjoy!

 **Warnings: Domestic abuse, child abuse, and suicidal thoughts.**

 _ **Chapter One**_

It had begun to snow gently as she slowly walked home. All she could do was keep replaying the conversation with Monika in her mind over and over again, and how it could have gone differently if she had only cooperated.

She sighed knowing whatever she thought of was useless by this point and even if they had found a way to help her, it would be impossible to do it. If they got the police or Child Services involved it would only result in her getting taken away and being put into the foster care system due to still being a minor. She didn't have other relatives to live with, all those on her father's side had been dead for years, and on her mother's side... she was unwanted to say the least.

Her mother had left them around the time she first began middle school because of her father constantly picking fights and causing problems. Natsuki knew at the time he was drinking a lot and that caused him to get upset but she never truly saw him as a bad person. When he was sober, when he was fun to be around, he'd take her out to eat or they would watch movies together and he always made her laugh when she was upset.

Natsuki had been closer to him than her mother, not that they didn't have a good relationship, and she was really a daddy's girl. It was only when he got drunk did he change. He'd get angrier faster and would want to be left alone, and he'd always seemed... sadder. At the time she just avoided him when he was in that state, blaming the drink instead of him outright. It only got worse when her mother finally put her foot down and poured all the liquor in the sink.

The walls in their house weren't soundproof, and her room was pressed right next to theirs. She remembered all the nights she could only listen to them fighting, all the yelling, and cursing blurring together into white noise. She supposed her young mind only heard it like that as a way to protect herself without realizing it.

When the noise got louder he'd always hit the wall, once he hit it so hard one of her posters came undone. He'd always somehow hit the same wall, in the same spot, but never her mother. She would pray at night he would never hit her. As far as she heard, he never got physical with her, just made empty threats when he was angry.

Everything finally fell apart one night, it burned constantly in the back of her mind, she was pretty sure it always would.

 _"You're fucking sorry?! Sorry doesn't cover shit, Salvato, you lost your job because you were drunk at work!" Her mother's shrill voice could be heard through the thin walls making the thirteen year old quiver in her bed knowing exactly what was to come._

 _The only difference was they were arguing in the kitchen instead of their room this time so she could hear everything more clearly and it didn't fade out._

 _"I'm not allowed to have one drink on the job?! I slave away for this family just to make ends meet and most of MY fucking money is wasted on toys and shitty comics and who's fault is that?"_

 _"Don't bring her into this, you bastard, and don't you DARE blame her. She only started to like those things because of you ruining this family!"_

 _Natsuki covered her ears, wanting the screaming to stop but knew it was far from over and held back a whimper. Her breaths quickened hearing her name be brought up and knew her father was right. Why was she so selfish wasting it on herself? She could of used it for something useful. It was somehow her fault he always drank. It was her fault her family wasn't happy. Why couldn't she be a good little girl for daddy?_

 _Suddenly, all the noise seemed to stop. She tensed up, waiting to hear the familiar sound of the wall being punched in, but when no sound came she wondered if something had happened._

 _He wouldn't hurt mommy, would he? She grew scared at the thought of it, with her heart pounding and feeling tears threatening to spill she got up from her bed and moved toward the door. Slowly, pressing her ear against it, she listened quietly._

 _A scream filled the air making her jump, it was her mother's voice screaming before being abruptly cut off._

 _"NATS-"_

 _She could hear cursing and a faint gurgling sound through the door confusing her until the realization dawned on her. Opening the door and running out to the living room she silently screamed seeing the sight that would be seared into her mind forever._

 _Her father held her mother against the wall, with both hands wrapped around her throat. He was chocking her slowly. Her arms were weakly hitting and scratching at his hands while her face slowly began to become purple it would only take a matter of seconds before she lost consciousness._

 _Thinking quickly, Natsuki grabbed the closest thing near her; a broom and began an onslaught of hits onto her, father screaming at him to stop. "LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO!" She put her strength in each whack and to focus on his head as tears spilled down her cheeks hoping it wasn't too late._

 _"Why you-!" He cursed finally letting go and used both hands to grab the broom making her look up at him frightened. Before either could do a thing, her mother began to gasp for air desperately and cough making Natsuki rush to her._

 _"Mommy, are you okay?!" The question had slipped out before she could think and she already knew the answer. It wasn't okay. It would never be okay._

 _It was never going to be okay._

 _Her father didn't say another word and just looked down at them. Natsuki focused on her mother but could feel the glare burning into her. The only thing she could do was hold onto her mother's hand tightly as she caught her breath, hoping he would leave._

 _He left through the front door, slamming it open and leaving it like that, and most likely went to drink while his family lay crumbling away behind him._

That night, Natsuki truly stopped seeing him as father but instead as a monster.

After that fateful night, her mother had packed all her items and soon left the next day, telling Natsuki she'd be at grandma's but come back for her after finding a proper lawyer. Her father didn't say a word to her for the first week they were alone together and things were finally silent around the house which somehow felt worse.

Everything had felt so broken, she had felt _broken_ and so totally alone. She still had to go to school of course, not that she minded since home wasn't _home_ anymore, and pretended everything was fine with her then friends. That's when she first bottled all her emotions and the lies began.

Weeks went by without a word from her mother but she clung onto the hope that she would be taken away to safety. Her hopes shattered the day she came home from school and saw the divorce papers on the kitchen table along with full custody rights her father now had over her, trapping her with him until she came of age to leave. What was worst was her mother hadn't spoken a word to her, hadn't explained why she suddenly fucking abandoned her. As if she was nothing.

Since then, her father never went back to being himself and always reeked of alcohol, but now with all his attention on her she had to be careful not to get in his way and get hurt. He'd only began to physically abuse her once she got into high school because he knew she wouldn't tell anyone. Occasionally, if he was in a good mood, he'd make dinner and feed her or give her money to buy groceries. It almost felt like old times. Almost.

Most of the time he left her alone and never acknowledged her presence. Even when she grew seriously close to passing out from hunger, she'd have to resort to sneaking around at night to eat his leftovers or eating out of the cafeteria trash cans after school. It embarrassed her but she would rather be embarrassed than starve. For school supplies, she'd save up bottles and take them down to be recycled for a quick buck or searched in the cushions of her father's chair for coins. Recently, she came up with the idea of baking cupcakes and selling them to other clubs!

Crossing the street to get to her house, she stared up at it, hesitating at the thought of walking inside and seeing what would greet her. Her father's beat up pick up truck sat parked in the driveway making her nearly consider walking away but she sighed, even if she did leave... she'd have to come back later.

It was a one story home and it consisted of three rooms, one being her and her father's and one was used for storage. To anyone else, they would see it as a plain white house but to Natsuki it might as well been the entrance to hell.

"Everything is fine," Natsuki attempted to reassure herself before taking her spare key out of her backpack as she walked to the door. Unlocking and opening it slowly she peeked her head in and almost let out a sigh of relief seeing that he wasn't in the living room which was right next to the front door. If she was fast enough she could get to her room without a problem!

Clutching her backpack straps tightly she quickly shut the door and scurried to her room, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process, and grinned triumphantly once reaching it. It was unusual for his car to be in the driveway when he wasn't home but she didn't think much about it.

Natsuki rolled her eyes knowing exactly what he was up to, "He's probably out buying booze to stuff his stupid face with-" she trailed off once opening her door.

"Hey, Natsuki." Her fathers gruff voice too casually greeted her from his spot on her bed and in his hands was her volume 5 Parfait Girls manga. "You're home late."

"I... I was studying." The pink haired girl replied back feeling frozen on the spot and despite the obvious anger she felt at the thought of him touching her stuff, the fear of just **HIM** overthrew it. "It's not t-that late."

"Where were you studying?" He asked without looking up from the comic. His voice keeping the same calm terrifying tone that just told her that he was toying with her.

Just like a predator playing with its prey.

"The school library, I told you this morning..." He knew she was lying. He somehow found out and it terrified her to her core wondering what else he found besides her secret fucking copy of Parfait Girls.

"I looked up the school and, y'know, they are so organized. They have such a strict schedule about closing times."

"...And your point is?"

Growing impatient he glared at her for the first time in their conversation that it made her nearly flinch. "I want to know why you've been lying to my face every day. What are you actually doing after school? Reading this garbage?" He tossed the comic onto the ground harshly with it still open. She could already imagine the bent or possible marks ruining the pristine pages.

"It's not garbage!" She couldn't help but snap back letting her anger get the best of her and quickly grabbed the manga from the floor, holding it closely to herself. "And I wasn't lying, I do stay at school everyday... helping teachers."

He didn't look convinced in the slightest but instead of growing angrier he kept his composure with the same calm grin he had when she first entered. "...You should of just told me if that was the case. Keeping secrets from your father isn't good."

He soon got up from his seat on her bed and she resisted the urge to take a step back as he walked over to her. If she didn't know any better she would have just moved to the side to let him pass but she knew he was waiting for an apology.

It wasn't the first time they've had back and fourth arguments that always resulted badly for her if she stood up to him so most of the time Natsuki would have no choice but to back down and reluctantly comply with his wishes by telling him what he wanted to hear. It felt humiliating and truly infuriated her but they both knew she was no match for him. He could easily just snap her neck one day and she wasn't sure if that would be a bad thing.

Looking to the side, away from him, she reluctantly began to apologize, "I'm sorry for lying, Dad. I won't ever do that again."

Suddenly, he reached out grabbing her arm roughly forcing her to look him in the eye. Her heart pounded furiously and she waited for his next move wondering for a split second if tonight was the night it would happen.

"I forgive you," he finally spoke with a smile and slowly began to let go of her. "But you still lied to me and that deserves punishment."

Before she could even say or do anything she watched him pull his hand back and bring it down, striking her across the face so harshly that in seconds she was on her bedroom floor.

Natsuki soon yelped as his foot soon made contact with her side and her only defense was to clutch her eyes tightly hoping it would end. After two more kicks he stopped.

"Hopefully, you've learned your lesson. There's dishes in the sink, clean them before going to bed." He told her before she heard him walk away and the familiar slam of his bedroom door echoed through the house.

"G-Go to hell..." She whispered quietly but made no move to get up. Angry tears welled up and spilled down her face and onto the floor. She wondered if this would be her life forever. Her birthday was months away and once she turned, where would she even go? She couldn't afford an apartment and she didn't know how to get a job. She wouldn't be able to survive on her fucking own! She was trapped.

Trapped with him forever.

Her small frame shook as she began to sob quietly while holding the manga, which hadn't left her grasp, tightly to her chest. She wished things were different. She wished her life was different. She wished her parents were different. However, it was pointless to wish.

She never got her way.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: New re-written chapter, a few changes but I mostly had a few misspelled words here and there. Originally this story was just going to stick with Natsuki's feelings throughout it but I wasn't quite sure how this, and future chapters would work, for what I had in mind so new points of views about the situation! Also, my update schedule is very random so don't expect too many updates around the same time.

 _ **Chapter Two**_

Monika couldn't sleep.

The whole situation with Natsuki kept her tossing and turning in bed until she eventually gave up, choosing to dwell on the situation further. Trying to find a solution for someone who didn't even want her help was stressful.

Of course, it made sense why Natsuki would hesitate getting anyone involved. She was always so stubborn and headstrong! Always wanting to deal with any trouble herself and basically pent up all her emotions. She was a very tough egg to crack.

Eggs crack or spoil eventually and Monika wanted to be the one to prevent it from happening. Instead, for now anyways, all she was doing was comparing her club mate to an egg. With a groan, she moved onto her side and just stared into the darkness of her bedroom.

Natsuki was more than just a club mate, she was a dear friend and possibly a younger sister figure she never had. The older girl wanted nothing more but to protect her and she couldn't even do that without involving a higher authority that could possibly take Natsuki away due to her being younger.

Just remembering the marks and bruises littered all over her arm and knowing there was even more hidden fueled her with enough anger that she would have loved to meet Natsuki's father and showed him what happened when you messed with a member of the Literature Club.

Violence wouldn't solve the problem unfortunately, so she had to find some other means to assist her friend. She had offered to let her stay at her home at the time but the younger girl had refused and told her she was 'fine'.

Did she think that would make her a burden? Monika had plenty of space in her apartment due to living by herself and a few pet plants. At the ripe age of 18, and having relatively wealthy parents, she had been given the responsibility to live on her own! Her parents mainly helped support her but only to an extent since she had to find a proper job of her own and pay for her own living expenses.

She worked at an electronics store after club meetings and her main job was to mess with codes on computers which mainly involved deleting/editing things in order for it to work properly, depending on the problem. She was pretty good at it and managed to get a promotion in her first month of working! This was something she mainly kept to herself to avoid other classmates from pestering her at work or wanting her to fix their laptops for free.

Natsuki could have slept on her pull out couch in her living room and perhaps in exchange... she could get cupcakes! Thinking about it nearly made her smile but the reality of the situation put a damper on her mood. How could she help Natsuki when she didn't want her help? And how?

Shutting her eyes, she yawned and moved onto her back trying once more to sleep to no avail.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. Eyes snapping open she used a hand to feel for her phone on her bedside table and turned it on. While wincing at the sudden bright light for a second, she quickly looked into her contacts and pressed the call button.

A few rings went by and she almost lost hope before it finally connected.

"Yuri, can you do me a favor?" Monika couldn't help but ask as soon as she answered. "If that's alright with you, of course."

 _ **"..Monika, are you aware it's almost one in the morning?"**_ Yuri's usual quiet soft voice was now laced with a more stern and disapproving tone.

"Eh? Oh... I guess I didn't think before calling you," An embarrassed blush covered her face at how on impulse she acted out on her plan without properly thinking it through, almost like a certain club member she was fond of. "I'm really sorry but I need help with something. Can you please do me a favor?"

 _"If it made you call me this late then it must be of great importance, does it involve the club? You never really call me unless it's about that..."_

"Yes and no. It involves helping Natsuki."

 _"Has something happened to her?"_ Yuri's tone changed instantly at the sound of Natsuki's name, concern now evident in her voice.

"Well, it's not really my place to say," Monika knew Yuri had some idea to what was going on with their young friend but saying it so bluntly, especially with what she knew, felt like a breach of privacy. "I can't give you all the details but she's been a bit... down lately and doesn't seem to believe we're truly there for her."

 _"...Continue."_

"So, I want each of us to spend the club time hanging out with her and showing her we truly care! It might make her open up to us more, maybe even ask for help on certain issues," Monika explained hoping the other would agree with her plan and hopefully add her own input. "Will you please help?"

Yuri was silent for a few minutes, most likely thinking over the plan, before finally speaking again, _"I want to help Natsuki and I... do want her to confide in all of us more."_

 _"I want her to be safe most of all."_ She heard her quietly mumble and could just imagine how red the other girl must have looked. Monika smiled wondering if this was something beyond friendship that Yuri hadn't even realized just yet. Or maybe she was looking into it too much?

She decided not to comment but made a mental note for later.

"I'm glad to hear that. Tomorrow, would you like to spend time with her first? I did disrupt your conversation with her today after all."

 _"I'd be honored to."_ Monika smiled hearing that but paused as Yuri cleared her throat and spoke again, _"Are you planning to tell Sayori before school tomorrow or do you plan on disrupting her rest as well?"_

"Haha... I'll tell her tomorrow of course, my apologies again for waking you up!"

They discussed the plan for a few more minutes before saying their good-nights.

Setting her phone back down on her bedside table Monika definitely felt much better compared to ten minutes ago. She laid her head back into her pillow feeling tired and content. Tomorrow's day was going to cause trouble due to her sleep schedule but she didn't mind too much.

Yuri's words echoed in her mind, making her smile as she fell asleep.

 _ **"I want her to be safe most of all."**_

* * *

The last bell rang for the day and Natsuki quickly gathered up her things.

She felt drained from the whole day and her side hurt each time she moved but she endured it. She's had worst injuries after all. It was a good thing she was able to hide the bruises under her clothes!

Walking out of the classroom, she glanced over at the staircase she usually took to get to the club room and paused. Last night's events lingered in her mind and the last thing she wanted was to make Monika pester her even more. That, and the fact she wanted some alone time to think.

"Natsuuuuki~!" A cheery voice called out to her at the end of the hallway making her, and the lingering students, look over to see a smiling Sayori.

The light pink haired girl seemed to prance over happily with a smile seemingly unaware, or uncaring, of the stares she was receiving from the others.

"D-Don't just yell out my name like that! You're making everyone look over..." The younger girl rolled her eyes blushing slightly before focusing her attention on her club mate and realizing something. Natsuki knew for a fact none of Sayori's classes were near hers so the other girl must of intentionally sought her out, but why?

"Are you going to Literature Club today? We still have to work hard for the festival so Monika told me to get everyone." Sayori told her, confirming her suspicions.

Coming up with a lie on the spot didn't seem too appealing and the Winter Festival had completely slipped her mind so she had no choice but to go. She made a commitment when she first joined the club after all.

"Yeah, I'm going but next time when you look for me... just walk up to me like a normal person!" Sayori just giggled at this as they went up the stairs and to the club room.

Natsuki mentally prepared herself for the next hour and a half while making a mental note not to mess with her side or give any indication it hurt. All she had to do was get her supplies and sit at her desk. Simple as that.

Just as they were about to turn a corner, Sayori paused suddenly, as if remembering something, and before she could ask the other girl had already turned around. "I'll be right back, forgot to get something!"

"What about the club?!"

"Go without me, I'll be right back!" Sayori yelled back as she sped down the hall and disappeared from view, leaving Natsuki alone scowling in the hallway.

Whatever the other girl must of forgotten must have been important if she'd choose it over the club. Rolling her eyes she continued forward to the classroom wondering about possible decorations she could make quickly so she could leave early.

The usual 'crowd' greeted her as she walked in and to be petty, she walked over to the drawer where she kept her supplies before sitting down in one of the back desks without saying a word. She wasn't too upset with Monika but she wasn't in much of a talkative mood. There really wasn't any reason for her to be upset for the other just caring about her well-being but she had to prove she was fine by herself.

"Oh, well, take your time with your assignments everyone. We have three days to the festival after all and that should be plenty." She heard Monika say but kept her eyes trained on her desk, staring quietly at her colored paper and supplies.

She was already finished with a few of the snowflakes and knew she had to make more along with some banners but all her motivation seemed to have dried up. She felt tired and overall wanted to be left alone.

Natsuki glanced up at the others and noticed Yuri wasn't in her usual seat but instead talking quietly to Monika. Panic instantly gripped her heart and a bit of anger hoping Monika wasn't telling her anything private. She wouldn't do that, would she? When the dark haired girl began to walk over she began to pretend she was working the whole time.

"Hello, Natsuki," Yuri greeted her quietly and a bit nervously. "I'm mostly done with my assignment and Monika has to get a few things from the classrooms downstairs so... s-she would like me to help you. Is that alright?"

She put her guard up and eyed the other girl for a moment, not noticing anything different about her expression or behavior. It was just like the day before when she wanted to help. The classroom door shut and closed, signifying their club leaders departure so she relaxed slightly.

"Whatever."

Yuri gave an appreciative nod before taking the seat next to Natsuki and gently scooting it closer to her desk but stopped just as they were about to touch. "I can move away if you'd like if I'm too close to you..."

"It's fine," Natsuki couldn't help but say a bit heatedly and merely moved a few papers and supplies to the other girls side. She showed her one of her finished snowflakes. "Just try to make them look like this."

Without waiting for a reply, Natsuki began to really work on her own snowflakes while getting lost in her own thoughts and feelings.

The pink haired girl didn't want to be in the club at that moment but she didn't want to go home either. Just thinking about her father made her side hurt but she couldn't do anything about it. The feelings of hopelessness from last night were still fresh in her mind. It didn't help that even her snowflakes weren't ending up how she wanted them to!

With a frustrated sigh, she couldn't help but grip the paper tightly causing creases and marks to appear but stopped after a moment feeling Yuri's eyes on her. Natsuki felt her face warm up with embarrassment and anger as she tried to calm down.

The last thing she wanted to do was to break down in front of Yuri and make the older girl pity her and give Monika even more proof.

"I read somewhere that everyone has a few unusual things about them. Things they can't control or don't know what to do with," Yuri spoke after a brief moment of silence making Natsuki glance over at her curiously and confused.

Unsure what the other girl was talking about, and not wanting to be asked questions, she couldn't help but go along with it, "So what?"

"...When I was younger, I would come on really strongly and get a bit intense that I made people not want be around me, not that I blame them, and I had few friends growing up," Yuri gave her a sad smile before looking back down at her own snowflake. Her voice became quieter as if suddenly becoming self-conscious of what she was sharing.

Momentarily making her forget her dilemma, she wondered about the other girl. Was she trying to make her feel better by putting the attention on herself? Yuri never shared anything personal that didn't involve writing in some way so for her to share her own problems to make her feel better made her face warm up slightly.

"My thing is being really into manga when most girls in my grade aren't," the younger girl blurted out after a minute of silence, surprising both of them in the process.

"Even the people I used to be friends with always thought I was weird for it. Even my dad," She admited feeling overall a bit odd with sharing a small bit of herself with the older girl as she quickly wiped at her eyes. "I mostly hide my collection in the classroom closet and read it here just to avoid people bothering me."

"I enjoy reading in here as well. It's a nice safe environment away from others," The other girls tone shifted and she could of sworn she heard a bit of sadness etched into it. "I've discovered how truly judgemental others can be."

Natsuki couldn't help but stare at the other girl silently and a bit unsure of what to say next. For the first time ever she wondered what made Yuri into the quiet, shy, and book-loving girl she was now.

As if misunderstanding her silence, right on cue, Yuri began to blush faintly and look up at her a bit startled, "Uh, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! I ramble a bit too much and I'm sure you d-"

"No!" Natsuki couldn't help but say loudly without realizing it and felt a flush of embarrassment ram into her as she looked away. "I-I mean no- it's alright! I don't mind you venting to me a bit if you want."

"You...want to listen?" The dark haired girl seemed to look at her surprised and when the younger girl nodded her head for her to continue she seemed to become even more red. "I suppose I could vent a few of frustrations to you b-but please don't hesitate to stop me if I get too much!"

As the older girl continued on, she saw that Yuri's problems seemed to consist of being judged for things that seemed to be out of her control and letting other people decide how she should act. It made the pink haired girl a bit sad how in the end it had made Yuri too shy and anxious to talk about her passions with people unless she knew they were willing to listen. And even then it didn't work out, driving the dark haired girl to isolate herself.

"If nobody could ever like me for the things that mattered most to me... then it was much easier to close myself off," She finished after a moment with a small shrug as she finished one of her decorations.

"How did you get into clubs?" Natsuki asked her curiously knowing if isolating herself had been the solution then Yuri wouldn't have ever joined the Literature Club. Just thinking of never meeting Yuri or having her in her life didn't sound too pleasant. Even if they got onto each others nerves sometimes.

Yuri seemed to perk up a bit as this question and the younger girl knew she would go on a long ramble but she didn't mind one bit and listened intently.

"Well, as you know I have a deep love for literature of all kinds along with writing. So, once I heard Monika created this club I felt very compelled to j-"

 _'WHAP'_

Suddenly, something slammed into her face making her let out a yelp of surprise and out of instinct she moved to get up.

And successfully hit her bruised side against the desk.

"Motherf-" Natsuki cursed while holding onto her side, forgetting Yuri was present for a split second.

"Are you alright?" Yuri asked, concern evident in her voice, as she stood up. Her eyes looking directly at her side making her panic at the thought of her bruise somehow showing. "Did you hurt yourself on the de-"

"I'm- **I'm fine**!" She snapped back while sitting back down and putting her arms to her sides, hoping it wasn't so obvious. "...I swear I'm fine."

Yuri didn't look convinced but she ignored her stare as she picked up the thing that had hit her and possibly screwed her over. It was... a cookie?

"Ah! I didn't mean to scare you!" Sayori stood at the doorway of the classroom looking a bit flustered and worried. "I was just sharing my snack with you, like you did with me that one time..."

Natsuki's side hurt and seemed to throb under her clothes but she tried to stay calm. They both looked at her obviously worried and she smiled, albeit a bit angrily. "Oh, that's nice of you I guess."

Looking at the treat she glared down at it before letting out a sigh, making a point to tear open the plastic dramatically and taking a large bite out of it. "Thanks, Sayori but since you scared me, I get to eat it all!."

"Hey, you're suppose to share!"

After the first bite, the younger girl realized just how hungry she'd been. She hadn't eaten anything since the day before at lunch, it hadn't occurred to her to eat again after the incident with her father. She secretly felt grateful for the cookie and ate it quickly.

Sayori, seeing how hungry she was, pouted before still walking over happily. "You're welcome! Sorry for scaring you again."

Yuri seemed to stay silent for a moment with an unreadable expression on her face that made her wonder what the other was thinking. It wasn't possible she knew, was it? Bumping her side against the desk couldn't have told the other she had bruises there, right? It was hard to tell with Yuri and it only made sense she was really perceptive of everyone around her. It made her heart pound with panic.

"Natsuki."

"...Yeah?"

"Would you like some tea to go down with that cookie? It's always more delicious to have a drink when eating something," Yuri smiled at her and she nearly let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I'd like some!" She wasn't that much fan of tea but drinking something warm sounded good at that moment and it might possible soothe her nerves.

The light pink haired girl seemed to grow even more excited as she moved closer to the others. "I want some too, please! I can even help if you want."

"Very well, I'd appreciate your help very much." Natsuki watched as the older girl moved to the classroom closet to fetch her electric kettle and water pitcher with Sayori following close behind her.

"Oh, I'll need to get water from the fountain. Sayori, could you please plug this into the teachers desk?"

"Okie doke!"

The older girl left the room surprisingly quickly but she didn't dwell on it too much as she really began to work on her decorations, it was a good thing the festival wasn't sooner or else she'd be screwed.

Ten minutes passed by as Natsuki finished her second snowflake and she noticed Yuri still hadn't come back, she glanced over at Sayori who seemed to be scribbling away in her notebook. No doubt working on her pamphlets.

Usually it would only take the dark haired girl a few minutes to fill the pitcher up and return but so far that wasn't the case. Maybe she should have gone with her? Deciding not to disrupt Sayori, she quietly made her way outside of the classroom. The fountain was right around the corner so it made sense for Yuri to have gone that way but as she took a step forward she paused, hearing faint talking nearby.

 _"...want to help.."_

 _"...care about her..."_

Both sounded female and she could only make out a few of their words as she walked closer.

 _"...Natsuki?..."_

When the pink haired girl heard her own name she sped up and rounded the corner quickly. Natsuki's eyes widened then narrowed in confusion.

"Yuri? Monika?"


	4. Chapter 3

A/N; I'm very sorry for the long hiatus there, I had planned to release this chapter sooner but I honestly lost the inspiration to write for a while, so this stayed unfinished in my notes for months. I'm officially on summer break so I have time to write and the next Chapter is somewhat a work in progress but I'm not too sure what to do next to make everything go smoothly, for those still interested in this I'd appreciate if you could comment some suggestions! I'll credit you if I do intend to them. And I want to apologize ahead of time if I don't update this again for a while more. ^^

 ** _Chapter Three_**

When she first joined the club all those months ago, Yuri knew something was off with their youngest member.

She was sure everyone in the club had some faint idea of what was going on but it was to be expected no one would bluntly ask about it. There were warning signs all over. She even took time to look it up online and read about similar situations, taking note of what fit Natsuki best. She'd seen how skittish and reclusive the other had been when the topic of family arose and how she always seemed to always want to stay at school late.

And the fact one day she seemed to have a dark purple bruise on her leg causing her to limp.

At the time, she'd only seen a small glimpse of it before the other had hastily covered it up with her skirt before making an excuse and leaving the club for the day. Yuri never asked about it and Natsuki kept her distance for a few days afterward. Just knowing something was happening ate at her yet she didn't feel it was her place to step in and help due to how distant they were.

She wasn't close to the others either and talking about another member's business seemed rude! So, like a coward, she paid less attention to Natsuki and read her books during club time while the others played around. They occasionally did work together for festivals, they never did seem to attract new members though, but only then did she open herself up.

However, when they began their daily poem assignment they didn't exactly get along too well. Having to constantly defend her poem when she shared it with Natsuki because she didn't seem to grasp her writing and always feeling unsure how to tell the pink haired girl _'cute'_ wasn't exactly a creative style. It only seemed to worsen when the topic of manga was brought up.

It was tiring, yet, very interesting to her as well. Monika and Sayori both had appealing and apparent styles of writing and always seemed to enjoy her poems while with Natsuki, she seemed more blunt and honest about what she thought. It had irritated to her at first and, childishly, she criticized the other back harshly.

Sayori scolded them regularly into apologizing while Monika seemed unsure on how to help but overall amused at how they seemed to fight over the same thing each time in a never-ending cycle.

Yuri rarely shared her writing with anyone and always did her best to improve so she could grow into a flourishing author and release her own books into the world. Her fear and overall hesitant behavior, along with a few bad experiences, stopped her from doing so. She believed she could achieve a better style of writing over time and in order to do that she knew she had to take other people's opinions into consideration.

And she wanted friends to help her do just that.

Monika and Sayori seemed to consider her as a friend but her relationship with Natsuki was rocky, especially when the younger girl didn't seem to want to be friends. Usually that would be enough to stop her from pursuing someone but... she was sure all Natsuki needed was someone to be there for her. There was something about her that stood out from everyone else in the club.

So, she didn't argue back as much and tried calmly talking to the other about her style of writing and in her own time thought over Natsuki's poems, trying to understand the pink haired girl better through them.

The older girl was certain her interest wasn't out of pity or spite or anything else, she genuinely wanted to help. Even before Monika had called her the night before, she'd already been conducting her own plan to help Natsuki by merely being friendly towards her and wanting to make her smile. Even if they only saw each other during club time, she would hope to make it more comfortable for her.

What Yuri didn't know was how bad the situation at home was, she'd hoped it has stopped somehow, but seeing the pain in Natsuki's eyes when the pink haired girl hit her side on the desk scared her. It scared her knowing she was most likely hiding an injury and pretending everything was okay. It especially angered her knowing it could have been prevented.

So, here she was; hashing it out in the hallway with Monika trying to understand the others reasoning for not intervening. Of course she was very aware she was being a hypocrite, she hadn't done anything the first time either, but she was ready to stop beating around the bush and help.

"We need to do something to help her, truly help her, Monika," She argued but the club president just looked overall conflicted, giving her a strained smile. "I know what you planned was with good intentions, I may have had the same idea before but we need to involve someone other than us."

"Yuri, please calm down. I know this situation is very bad but... we can't involve the authorities, it could end up with Natsuki getting taken away," The light rose haired girl told her. "We just need to help her see we're here for her so she could be the one to come to us. From there we can help her."

"Monika. I don't mean to talk rudely about Natsuki but we both know she's very headstrong, she won't come to us sooner than you think. We need to act now," Yuri told her sternly and a bit angrily.

It was a good thing the school was partly empty by this point, aside from a few teachers, she'd be embarrassed if anyone else saw how heated up she was.

"I've seen a bruise on her before... back when I was too meek to intervene. And now, I believe she's been hurt again because in the classroom she bumped into the desk and seemed to be more hurt than she let on," Yuri explained hoping this would help her case.

"Yuri-"

"No, listen!" Yuri for the first time in their conversation snapped and looked at the other as she continued. "When I asked if she was okay she seemed very distressed and tried to convince me she was fine. I just know there is a bruise there."

Monika didn't flinch at her words, she just seemed to look even more conflicted while she looked off to the side. Her signature smile no longer on her face.

The taller girl couldn't understand how Monika didn't see just how serious their younger friends situation was. How, without proper help, could end up with Natsuki getting more hurt or even killed if they didn't act fast enough. It didn't help that the other seemed to know more than she let on.

 _Did she know more?_

"...Did you know what's been happening at home?" She quietly questioned her, gripping the pitcher tightly in her hands.

Monika didn't respond for a moment, still looking as though she was gathering her thoughts.

"Answer me."

Monika finally looked up at her and sighed sadly, "A few weeks ago, I found her in the club room with bruises on her arm. She told me privately what happened and she seemed more scared of being taken away from us than whoever hurt her. She then made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone."

Yuri was about to protest but stopped herself as the other girl continued.

"I know you want to help her, we all do, but I don't intend to break that promise." Monika told her truthfully with a sigh. It didn't truly extinguish Yuri's argument but she stayed silent for a moment feeling unsure, promising something was very important as was seeing it through but in this situation it didn't sit right.

"We all care about her very much," Yuri began softly and blushed faintly. "And I care about her very much. I don't want her to be taken away but I can't stand by anymore, so I won't ask for your assistance with this. I can talk to her on my own and convince her this is for the best..."

"But is this what she wants?" Monika questioned her softly, all the fight in her seemingly gone for the moment, and in a way knew the other knew this was the right decision. "I care about her too. Isn't the best way to help is to be there for Natsuki?"

Yuri have her a small smile. It was sometimes hard to forget how despite Monika always seeming to be perfect, she had a flaw like the rest of them that couldn't hide itself. The club president always seemed to try to help everyone in her own way to keep the problem under control and avoided hurting them or herself in the process. That's what it seemed like to her anyway. Yuri understood in her own way but she needed to shove her selfish needs to the side.

"Yuri? Monika?"

Both girls turned to see the one they were specifically talking about, both blanked for a moment unsure of what to say. Yuri mentally scolded herself for taking so long to get the pitcher filled knowing this would seem suspicious. Maybe this was a sign to just get it over with to avoid anymore hurt?

"Hello, Natsuki!" Monika greeted her quietly with a sad smile and Yuri sheepishly looked down at her pitcher.

"I bumped into M-Monika as I was getting water and lost track of time. My apologies, Natsuki." Yuri had a faint smile on her face and tried to remain calm but there was so much to say.

"Weren't you getting things from downstairs?" Natsuki, obviously suspicious, asked Monika with a tiny bit of a pout.

Monika remained calmed and answered her with her usual smile, "I couldn't find much to use so I was coming back here when I saw Yuri filling the pitcher, we were discussing about the song she wanted us to perform."

"Oh, okay I guess..." The pink haired girl murmured but didn't seem too convinced, though, she seemed more concerned about the taller girls absence. "You were taking so long I actually started to get worried but whatever."

"I-I suppose I just lost track of time and forgot about the tea, my apologies about that." Yuri couldn't help but smile sensing the others concern. Her heart felt as though it was going to burst out of her chest. It didn't seem right to lie, especially now when all this danger could be stopped. The question was, how was she going to go about it?

"...Yuri, what's wrong?" Natsuki's eyes seemed to bore into her making her remember the flash of fear in them she saw only ten minutes ago.

"... I'm not going to keep this facade any longer," The taller girl began to say, despite knowing what this would cause, and turned to Monika. " I'm sorry, Monika, but I have to step in. "

Monika didn't seem too shocked by her actions but gave her pained expression, "Yuri, please reconsider this."

"What's going on? What are you guys talking about?"

"Natsuki, I want you to get help and report what's been happening at home," Yuri spoke gently and sternly to the other girl trying to keep everything calm." I understand that this might have been going on longer than I've known but we can put an end to this now and make sure you never get hurt again. "

"..." Natsuki was silent for a moment, a mix of emotions appearing on her face as grasped Yuri's words. She then quickly turned to Monika and she didn't know if she'd ever seen Natsuki this angry before.

"You told her, didn't you? You promised you wouldn't say a word to anyone, I knew I couldn't trust you!" She yelled at Monika who looked panicked for a moment at the sudden accusation.

"Natsuki, please believe me when I say I didn't say anything. I wouldn't do that to you!" Monika told her sincerely and Yuri felt a pang of guilt for a split second before stepping in.

"Promises aren't worth keeping if it involves someone getting hurt. I understand you're angry now and scared but we can help protect you-" She tried to explain to calm the smaller girl but took a step back as Natsuki turned to face her.

"You don't understand at all! This club was all I had!" She exclaimed before pausing for a brief moment and looked to the side, her breathing quickening and it was obvious she was on the verge of having a panic attack. "I just.."

"I just wanted a place that feels nice to hang out with friends. A place where I can forgot how shit my life is! There aren't... there aren't many places like that for me." Natsuki's words made the two older girls tense up as they stared at her. Yuri could hear the sincerity and unhappiness laced in her voice, it pained her.

Natsuki soon looked up and glared right back at Monika, "And now Monika wants to take it away from me!"

"Natsuki, I don't want to take anything from you. I just... wanted to help you in my own way to show you it was okay to talk to me, all of us even, about your problems." Monika attempted to explain but Natsuki just shook her head and took a step back from the two and had wrapped her arms around herself.

"I don't know why you brought her into this but it's not okay. You know damn well it won't be okay even if I said anything, they'll just take me away and I don't want that." Her voice shook as she spoke.

"No, it's not okay," Monika seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking, looking panicked once more. "I-I think I've honestly been handling this all wrong. I just wanted you to reach out to us for help and I selfishly assumed everything would instantly be okay if you did."

"You all don't need to handle shit. It's only a few more months until I'm old enough to leave and I'll be alright -" Natsuki began to argue back before being cut off by Yuri.

She couldn't let Monika take all the blame for her sudden confrontation and she had to bring in reason to help her realize how much danger she was in. "Natsuki, please listen to yourself and understand how serious this situation is. I'm not sure how long you've been dealing with this b-but we can help you."

The pink haired girl only scowled at her and kept her gaze on Monika, "If I wanted help I would have asked for it already, I don't know what Monika told you but she doesn't know anything!"

"Monika didn't tell me everything, I've known for a while you've been getting hurt but never knew how until now," Yuri confessed to her and making the younger girl pause. "And she's not the one who wants to make you get taken away... I do. "

Natsuki froze up at this and looked at her in shock and let out a small, "W-What?"

The dark haired girl felt anxious but knew she had to say it clearly since it seemed like the only choice at that point, she frowned and looked her in the eyes. "I consider you one of my good friends, Natsuki, and everyone in the club isn't as blind as you think. In some way or another, we've all known what's been happening but we didn't do anything to help you. I'm so sorry for that, I'm also sorry for what I'm going to do but this is for your own good."

"I'm going to tell the principal so they could look into this and they can help you." Her words instantly made the smaller girl pale.

"...It's for the best, Natsuki." Monika looked down for a moment seemingly unable to look the other girl in the eyes.

"You... You can't do t-that!" Natsuki sputtered out and her face soon became red with anger. "This wasn't any of your fucking business in the first place!"

"I know it's none of my business but it scares me to think what else has been done to you or what they could do next! " Yuri's voice quivered but she tried to keep her composure hoping to make the other understand why she cared so much. "I'm... I just want you to be safe."

Natsuki's small frame shook and the smaller girl glared at them as she began to back away, "I thought... you were my friends but you were just digging up dirt to get rid of me." She looked betrayed more than anything else.

"Natsuki, please understand, we weren't planning to get rid of you," Monika tried to step towards her to put a hand on her shoulder but the smaller girl just swatted her hand away.

She then looked at Yuri with such a crestfallen expression on her face, "I... I honestly thought you were starting to like me. Do you hate me that much?"

Natsuki looked so small in that moment that Yuri wanted nothing more than to comfort her and take back her words but she felt her throat close up. She couldn't bring herself to reply, she wasn't even sure what to say at that moment.

The pink haired girl looked away from the lack of response and in an instant she ran from them, _from Yuri_ , down the hall. There were tears in her eyes.

She heard Monika go after Natsuki but there was no point for the younger girl was already gone. Yuri felt herself tearing up and she looked down wondering if what she had done was right.

The pitcher fell from her grasp as she hugged herself. She felt the familiar urge to scratch at her wrists swell inside her but she ignored it for the first time in months. The pained expression Natsuki had and question was all she could focus on.

 **"Do you hate me that much?"**

"Yuri, are you all right?" Sayori peeked around the corner and approached the taller girl.

Yuri cried softly as Sayori did her best to comfort her.


End file.
